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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517550">Your Courage Gives Me Strength</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaNocis/pseuds/ReginaNocis'>ReginaNocis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>I Heard Your Voice in a Dream [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everybody Lives, For It ch 2!!!, I literally just could not handle the movie ending, M/M, Revenge for Stan and Eddie!!, Stanley has confidence, and a lot of anger, major spoilers!!!, so I fixed it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:49:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,893</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517550</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaNocis/pseuds/ReginaNocis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stanley Uris, for the first time in twenty-seven years, finally felt something other than apathy. He felt a deep, blinding anger that settled into his bones.</p><p>“I’ll be there,” he promised, not waiting for a response before ending the call. He had a bag to pack.</p><p>(In which Stanley Uris did not feel fear when Mike called- he felt anger. This is what would have happened had Stan gotten onto a plane instead of taking himself off of the board.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh (background), Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier (background)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>I Heard Your Voice in a Dream [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695019</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Your Courage Gives Me Strength</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stanley Uris felt like he was sleepwalking through life. He had a good job, a loving wife, and plenty of hobbies to fill his free time. He was probably the most accomplished bird-watcher in Atlanta, and he was well on his way to climbing the ladder at his work. Patricia took good care of him; kept him fed and clothed and thoroughly distracted at all times. But no matter how good things were for him, he didn’t feel anything. No joy, no sorrow, no anger… nothing. He just felt like something was missing.</p><p>The first time someone at work had called him ‘Stan-the-Man’, he’d caught him smiling much wider than he should have. It left him feeling warm in a way he didn’t remember ever feeling before… yet it was familiar. Twice now he’d caught himself signing his name ‘Staniel’ instead of ‘Stanley’. Thankfully, nobody had been with him either time to question him, because he had no explanation. At night, he dreamed of red hair and bright eyes, inhalers and fanny packs, softly spoken stutters, loud laughter and cigarette smoke. Sometimes he’d see someone out of the corner of his eyes who looked achingly familiar, and a name would jump to his lips… but when he turned to look, he didn’t recognize anyone. Stan was missing something, but he didn’t know what it was.</p><p>Every time he tried to concentrate on his lost memories (because what else could this possibly be?), they seemed to disappear further. Sometimes, when he wasn’t thinking about them at all, he could almost picture things. He remembered the smell of water, rushing below him. He remembered air blowing through old wooden beams. He remembered laughter, and lots of it. He also remembered fear. He never said a word about any of it to Patricia, because he knew she wouldn’t understand. He never told her that the more he remembered, the less he wanted to stay here. He felt somewhere calling him, down to his very bones. He felt as if someone was waiting for him.</p><p>On the night of Mike Hanlon’s phone call, Stan had sat down to do his puzzle in an attempt to jog his memory further. A name was on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn’t get it to come out. He crouched under the table at the exact moment his phone began to vibrate, and his heart kicked into overdrive. Derry, Maine… how could he forget? He knew who it had to be, the name finally present in his mind after so long. His hands shook as he accepted the call.</p><p>“Hello?” he asked, proud of the way his voice didn’t waver.</p><p>“Stanley Uris? This is Mike… Hanlon,” the man replied. His voice wasn’t wavering either, and it sounded to Stan as if he was sure he wouldn’t be remembered.</p><p>Stan, meanwhile, had never felt so alive. He remembered <em>everything</em>. How could he have forgotten? “Of course…” he didn’t even realize he’d spoken, so lost in his own memories. “Mike. How are you?”</p><p>“I’m… fine. You need to come home,” Mike told him. “<em>It’s back.”</em></p><p>And Stanley Uris, for the first time in twenty-seven years, finally felt something other than apathy. He felt a deep, blinding anger that settled into his bones.</p><p>“I’ll be there,” he promised, not waiting for a response before ending the call. He had a bag to pack.</p><p> </p><p>Patricia, of course, did not understand. She pleaded with him the whole time he packed his bag, begging him to stay at home with her. “How could they mean that much to you? You haven’t spoken to them in almost thirty years! I’m your wife, Stanley, aren’t I important to you as well?”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. They need me, and I’m going. This is something I have to do,” he told her firmly. He’d been oddly calm about the whole thing. The anger never faded, not even for a moment. After all of this time, he remembered everything. He knew exactly who was to blame for his missing memories, and this time, he’d make sure It was dead before he left.</p><p>“But why, Stanley?” she demanded, crossing her arms angrily. Maybe he should have felt bad, but the apathy he’d felt towards his wife had not faded away when he’d remembered his entire childhood in a rush. If anything, it had gotten worse. He knew he couldn’t stay with her.</p><p>“Because this is where I’m meant to be going, Patricia. This is what I’ve always been meant to do. And I can’t give up on my destiny just for one person. In fact… I don’t think our marriage is working anymore. I don’t think I’ll be coming back here,” he told her softly. He couldn’t explain why without making himself sound crazy- not that he really cared what she thought of him. After all, she’d thought that things were completely fine between them. That he was completely fine, when he’d been missing his entire self.</p><p>She continued to put up a fight all the way through him calling a taxi and leaving the house. She’d tried to close down their bank account by the time he’d made it to the airport, but the bank had called him to confirm and he’d instead had her name removed from it. He’d send her a check as soon as he made it to Derry, but for now she’d have all of the cash they’d put back. He wasn’t going to allow her to try to force him back. He was already gone.</p><p> </p><p>He recognized Jade of the Orient from his childhood, though they’d never eaten there before. None of their parents had been much for going out, and they never had enough pocket money to buy more than ice cream occasionally. Now, standing outside, Stan wondered if they were here because they’d grown up or if it was simply neutral territory. He assumed that everyone else had forgotten, just as he had. Everyone but Mike, who had never left this godforsaken town after so many years. Mike had been all alone here- the only one to know what they’d done as children.</p><p><em>Well, </em>Stan thought. <em>He won’t be alone anymore. We’re here now.</em></p><p>The hostess greeted him with a bright smile and it didn’t fade when he gave Mike’s name for the reservation. She led him back to a private room, and Stan could hear them before he could see them. He didn’t recognize their voices anymore, but their words gave them away. He could hear Richie make a ‘your mom’ joke, could hear Eddie telling him off for it. He could hear Bev’s soft laugh, which hadn’t changed after all of these years. And then he could see them all gathered together. He was the last to arrive, and they hadn’t noticed him yet.</p><p>“What about Stanley? Do you think he’ll be here?” Bev asked, her voice soft in the sudden silence of the room.</p><p>“Stanley… Staniel Uris… nah, he’s a pussy. He won’t show up,” Richie shot back, grinning lazily. Stan had to roll his eyes as he finally stepped into the room, gaining attention immediately.</p><p>“Beep fucking beep, Richie,” he told him, a small smile giving away his delight at seeing all of his old friends gathered together.</p><p>There was a mad rush of people, surrounding and hugging him, greeting him more warmly than he remembered. They’d all changed, and yet they were still the same. They would always be the same. “This meeting of the Losers club can officially begin,” Bill said, grinning. Stan was happy to see that he seemed to have outgrown his stutter. Confidence was a good look on Big Bill.</p><p>“Are… are you sure he’s back?” Eddie asked, his eyes finding Mike’s. Stan could see immediately that little Eddie Kaspbrak was still just as afraid as he’d been the first time around. They all seemed to be… except for Stan. Stanley Uris did not feel fear this time, only anger.</p><p>“I’m positive,” Mike confirmed. “It’s happening exactly the same as before.”</p><p>“Twenty-seven years later. At least the fucker sticks to a schedule,” Richie stated bitterly. “I really thought we’d killed him.”</p><p>“We all thought it,” Bev reminded him gently. “But we’re here again, and this time… this time we really will. I’m not leaving again until he’s gone for good.”</p><p>“Won’t your husband miss you?” Ben asked. Stan looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time since he’d entered the room. Confidence looked just as good on Ben Hanscom as it did on Bill. He’d grown into his looks, that was for sure- and Stan wasn’t the only one who was noticing. Beverly had hardly taken her eyes off of him, and Stan could tell that Ben was enjoying the attention. That hadn’t changed, then.</p><p>Beverly, in a carefully calculated move, pulled her wedding ring off and laid it on the table for everyone to see. “No, he won’t,” she replied calmly. Nobody dared to say anything else about it. “What about the rest of you?”</p><p>Stan looked across at Bill, who was staring down at his own hand. He was already ringless, which implied that either he’d left her when he got Mike’s call, or they’d been separated beforehand. His eyes moved to Eddie, who had been studiously ignoring his vibrating phone for the past twenty minutes. Eddie’s eyes darted between his phone and his ring, and then he seemed to make up his mind. He pulled his own ring off, and it joined Bev’s.</p><p>“Stanley?” Richie asked, eyeing the ring on Stan’s finger. He’d forgotten to remove it when he’d left, which had probably given Patricia the wrong idea, but…</p><p>“I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere,” he told them all calmly. His ring joined the other two, sparkling from the light above the table. And that was when the table started to shake.</p><p> </p><p>Once they’d all made it to the hotel and checked in, they all met back up in Bill’s room. They seemed to be looking to him as a leader again, just like last time. Mike had just finished telling them about some native American ritual that would guarantee It’s death, but Stan had been watching him the whole time, and… something was off. Stanley had always been the most observant of their group, and that had not changed.</p><p>Mike didn’t believe what he was telling them. He was gesturing with his hands, and his voice was animated and confident, but his eyes darted around the room. He couldn’t look at any of them for more than a few moments, and he wouldn’t meet their eyes when he did look. His entire body was tensed, like he was waiting for an attack. This plan of his was well thought out, but Mike didn’t believe for one second that it would work. He knew more than he was telling them.</p><p>“What aren’t you saying?” Stan asked as the silence dragged on.</p><p>“What?” Mike asked, his confident façade crumbling for a moment. “I don’t know what you mean.”</p><p>“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Mike. What haven’t you told us? Because if it were really that easy, you wouldn’t be so worked up,” Stan pressed. “There’s more to this ritual, isn’t there?”</p><p>“I…” Mike hesitated, unable to meet Stan’s eyes as he thought through his answer.</p><p>“Mike, you have to tell us,” Bill chimed in, frowning. “We can’t go into this without having all of the information.”</p><p>“The- the last time this ritual was performed, it didn’t exactly work the way it should have. They didn’t <em>believe </em>like they needed to, and It killed them. But it’ll be different for us!” Mike finally replied, his fists clenched tightly.</p><p>“No,” Stan sighed. “It won’t be.”</p><p>“How could you know?” Mike demanded. All of the others were watching in shocked silence as the two least likely to fight had their argument.</p><p>“Because you don’t believe it’s going to work. You’re talking it up, explaining your plan, but you don’t believe for one second that we can pull this off. You don’t think the ritual will work, but you have to hope because we’re out of other options. If it really does need belief to work, that alone would screw us all,” Stan explained.</p><p>“Do you have a better idea?” Ben asked. He didn’t say it unkindly.</p><p>“No,” Stan admitted. “And I think that finding our totems is a good idea, but… the ritual isn’t going to work. We need to come up with something else while we all find what we left behind. We need to remember as much as we can before we even think about facing It.”</p><p>“I agree with Stan,” Bill sighed. “And no matter what, we do this <em>together</em>.”</p><p>“Together,” Bev echoed, a small smile spreading across her lips. In another life, Stan would have thought she was the most beautiful person in the world. He remembered dreaming about her red hair when he didn’t remember anything at all, but… he could never love her. He loved someone else. He always had, even when he couldn’t remember. And now was not the time to think about it. They’d have all the time in the world, later.</p><p> </p><p>The clubhouse was exactly the same as they’d left it, even if it contained slightly more dust than before. Nobody had found it, that much was clear. All of them were crowded down there, crouched down to fit where it used to be easy. Beverly kept running her hands along the beams and ceiling, smiling in a way that made Ben stare. Stan knew exactly what he needed down here, but he let it go for a few more moments. It was good to see them all so relaxed after all this time.</p><p>“The hammock!” Richie ran past him, throwing himself bodily in the hammock that used to easily hold him and Eddie. Stan watched fondly as Richie grinned, winking at Eddie. Eddie’s face was flushed, but he looked determined as he made his way over to the hammock as well.</p><p>“You barely fit,” Eddie pointed out, running his hand along the fabric. Stan watched as Eddie gingerly climbed in as well, pressed almost fully against Richie, who… Stan had never seen Richie’s face so red before. The sexual tension wasn’t necessarily something Stan had missed.</p><p>“You’re one to talk,” Richie scoffed, wrapping an arm around Eddie’s legs to hide his shaking hands and obvious embarrassment.</p><p>Stan shook his head, glancing over to meet Bill’s eyes and roll his own exaggeratedly. Bill grinned, nodding in agreement. With a sigh, Stan walked over to the corner of the room, pulling the tin he’d stashed there so many years ago into the light. He pulled a shower cap out with a soft smile and held it out to Bill in silent offering. Stan’s token, as it were. Bill understood immediately.</p><p>“Oh my god…” he murmured, taking it gingerly. “I remember you bringing these down here. We looked so ridiculous, but we never once had spiders in our hair.”</p><p>“You were so afraid of them, so I… I came up with a way to make sure you didn’t have to deal with them more than you absolutely had to,” Stan admitted. Bill’s eyes were big when they met Stan’s.</p><p>“You did this for <em>me?” </em>Bill asked, his voice so soft that Stan was sure nobody else could hear him. He nodded wordlessly, letting this information sink in. Nothing would come of it, but Stan was glad to have admitted it. “Stan…”</p><p>“Is that it?” Ben asked, walking over to them with his hands in his pockets.</p><p>“Yeah,” Stan replied, letting Bill hold onto it for now. He slipped the tin back into it’s place and then went to rejoin the group. “Shall we go find whoever’s is next?”</p><p>“I think we should split up,” Bill chimed in. “Eddie and Richie were almost always together, so their tokens are probably in the same area. Mike, you’d be good for helping Bev and Ben, don’t you think? And Stan can help me look.”</p><p>“I still think we should be doing this alone,” Mike protested. “We’re more likely to learn what we need to know on our own.”</p><p>“We’re more likely to end up getting killed alone, you mean,” Eddie pointed out. “It only attacks when we’re on our own- it’s not strong enough to take us on as a group yet.”</p><p>“Just… if it doesn’t work this way, we’ll go on our own, okay?” Ben offered, trying to placate both sides as he always did. Stan didn’t have the patience for any of it.</p><p>“I found mine with everyone here. Splitting up is exactly what It wants, so it’s what we’re not going to do. Mike, if you already have your token, you’re welcome to go try to find another solution. Otherwise, stick with Bev and Ben. Richie, I swear to god, you better take this seriously. Do <em>not </em>ditch Eddie just for fun. And Eddie, he just wants to rile you up. Don’t give it to him,” Stan told them all.</p><p>There was silence for almost a full minute after he spoke as his friends just stared at him. Bill used to be the leader, because he was the one who had lost the most. Now, though, they had all lost exactly the same amount. Bill was quiet and unsure of himself, and everyone waiting for him to make the calls were going to get hurt or killed. Stan, on the other hand, had a lot of anger and motivation driving him towards his goal- killing It as quickly as possible. That made him a damn good candidate for leader of the group, and he wasn’t going to let them come up with reasons and excuses to drag their feet. Nobody else needed to die. They were going to attack that night, whether they’d all found their tokens or not. He just hadn’t told them about it yet.</p><p>“Y-you heard him,” Bill finally said, shooing them all towards the exit. Nobody mentioned his stutter, because everyone was still too busy being surprised by Stanley fucking Uris. None of them wanted to think about what might have been happening now if he hadn’t shown up last night at Jade of the Orient.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t need you to help me,” Bill admitted as they walked down a seemingly random street in Derry. Stan recognized where they were heading, though, and he knew that Bill probably didn’t want to talk about it.</p><p>“I know,” Stan told him calmly.</p><p>“I just wanted to… talk, I guess,” Bill added. “I’ve missed you, even though I didn’t remember you.”</p><p>“I missed you, too, Bill,” he replied softly. “I always knew I was missing something, I just… didn’t know what. And seeing all of you sitting around that table, it felt like coming home. I don’t want to lose that again.”</p><p>“You don’t have to, you know,” Bill told him. Stan could feel the weight of his gaze, but he didn’t turn his head to meet it.</p><p>“Don’t we?” he asked. “When we’re done here, we can’t stay. There’s too much here for all of us to stay. Even Mike will leave this time, I can feel it. And some of us have things to go home to.”</p><p>“Your wife, you mean,” Bill replied. There was a bitter quality to his voice, but Stan couldn’t tell if it was jealousy or that Bill was acknowledging that he didn’t have a wife of his own anymore.</p><p>“Hardly,” Stan answered, a wry twist to his lips. He held up his empty hand as a reminder; he’d left the wedding ring on the destroyed table at the restaurant, along with Bev’s and Eddie’s.</p><p>“You know she’d still take you back,” Bill told him. “There’s no way she doesn’t still love you, Stan. Everyone loves you.”</p><p>“That’s not a reason to go back,” Stan sighed. “I don’t love her, and I can’t make myself stay in a loveless marriage anymore. Nobody deserves that. Not her, not me, not… just, nobody.”</p><p>“Then what were you referring to?” Bill pressed. Stan wished he hadn’t said anything; he knew when he’d opened his mouth that Bill wouldn’t let it go.</p><p>“Richie, for example, will be going back for his career. You still have a movie in production, Bill. And many more novels to write, I’m sure. Bev has her fashion career, even if she doesn’t have her husband anymore. And she’s got Ben, even if she doesn’t realize it yet. Even Eddie has his career to go back to, although I’m betting he moves out to LA,” Stan replied.</p><p>“You’ve noticed, too?” Bill asked, grinning. Stan nodded. “They’ll be happy, if they ever manage to pull their heads out of their asses.”</p><p>“They’re not the only ones,” Stan shot back. He’d meant Bev and Ben, but he didn’t like the calculating look that Bill was giving him. “We’re almost there, right?”</p><p>Maybe Stan should have felt bad for making Bill think about the reason they were out here, but he couldn’t handle the way Bill had been looking at him. He wouldn’t be ready to handle his feelings for Bill until Pennywise was finally dead. After they killed It, they could talk as much as Bill wanted. Until then, Stan would keep prodding them into the right direction. It’s what he was good at.</p><p>“Y-yeah,” Bill sighed. They were on a street corner that had never meant anything to Stan, but had always meant the world to Bill. This was where Georgie had died. And there, caught in the corner of the sewer grate, was the paper boat that Stan knew Bill had meticulously made for his kid brother on the day of his death. Bill moved forward to grab it, but Stan held his arm tightly. Bill didn’t need to face this demon alone.</p><p>Stan walked over for him, not hesitating to bend down and pick up the boat. He could see the eyes of Georgie’s killer reflecting in the faint light from the sun, but he did not react. Pennywise didn’t say a word, and neither did Stan. He simply turned his back and walked away, back to Bill. He offered him the boat, but Bill shook his head.</p><p>“Hold onto it for me?” he asked softly, and Stan could only nod. After all, Bill still had his token, too.</p><p> </p><p>They met back at the hotel instead of the library, and Eddie and Richie were already there waiting. Stan was amused to see them holding hands, though they were also clutching their tokens tightly. Eddie’s, unsurprisingly, was an inhaler. Richie was hiding his, and his facial expression was so pinched that Stan didn’t dare to ask. As he watched, Eddie squeezed Richie’s hand gently, and Richie let out a breath he didn’t seem to realize he’d been holding.</p><p>“Found yours alright?” Eddie asked Bill. Bill simply nodded.</p><p>They were saved from further awkward conversation by the arrival of the final group. Ben’s arm was tight around Beverly’s waist, and they were both beaming with happiness. Even Mike, who had not smiled since leaving the restaurant, was clearly happy for them. Stan felt a small pang in his chest as he realized he was the only one with unresolved tension now, but it would <em>have </em>to wait.</p><p>“Got yours?” he waited for all of them to nod before he spoke again. “Good. We leave in an hour. Grab anything you think could help defeat the clown. We’re going to the Neibolt house, and we’re going to finish this.”</p><p>“What- tonight?” Richie demanded, standing and accidentally pulling Eddie up with him. “After everything we’ve been through today?”</p><p>“Yes,” Stan said simply.</p><p>“I… guys, I know what we need to do,” Eddie said softly. His voice was drowned out by both Richie and Mike.</p><p>“I can’t believe you shoot down my idea, and then tell us we’re going to die tonight with absolutely no plan at all!” Mike said loudly, anger making his voice shake.</p><p>“I am not going to die tonight!” Richie shouted.</p><p>Stan let them get their anger out before he raised his hand, commanding silence. Then he turned his full attention to Eddie, who was staring right back in determination. Stan gestured for him to speak.</p><p>“I know how to beat It,” Eddie said in a rush, like he was afraid of being interrupted again. “Richie, you… you didn’t see when it attacked me in the basement, but… I almost managed to kill It down there. I wasn’t afraid, or at least- I didn’t let my fear control me. I told It that it couldn’t hurt me, that it was pathetic and… just a clown. And it shrank. It got weak, like it couldn’t fight anymore.”</p><p>“Fear gives it power, so of course… of course courage would be it’s weakness!” Bev exclaimed, looking excited.</p><p>“We could really do this,” Ben said softly.</p><p>“We can win,” Bill agreed, smiling.</p><p>“We <em>will </em>win,” Stan corrected.</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t win!” The clown shrieked, laughing maniacally as they all stood around him. Stan’s heart was beating fast, but it wasn’t fear that was driving his actions. It was pure adrenaline and anger. He had never hated something as much as he truly hated It. He could see Eddie to one side of him, shaking but holding his ground. Bill was at his other side, a solid presence of anger and vengeance. They were all there; they had made it through the house of terrors without any trouble. Once they’d realized that courage was all they needed, it was easy.</p><p>“You’re nothing,” Stan said calmly, not even bothering to raise his voice. “You have no hold on us at all.”</p><p>“You’re just a clown!” Eddie added quickly, shooting a grin to Stan.</p><p>“Pathetic!” Richie shouted from Eddie’s other side.</p><p>“Tiny,” Bill added, his voice shaking with anger, not fear.</p><p>“You can’t beat us,” Stan told him. “You’re all alone, and we- we will <em>never </em>be alone again. You failed to keep us apart, just like you failed to kill us.”</p><p><em>“You can’t win!” </em>the clown shrieked again, but his voice was high pitched and he was rapidly shrinking now. He was visibly scared, shaking as they loomed over him.</p><p>“Just a sad, pathetic clown,” Eddie told him, stepping in closer. They could all see It’s rapidly beating heart, and Eddie didn’t hesitate to reach out and pull it from the clown’s chest. He held the beating heart in his hand, staring down at it with hatred.</p><p>Richie was the first to move, covering Eddie’s hand with his own in determination. Mike followed, then Ben, Bev, Bill… and they all looked over at Stan, waiting for him as if he was the last piece of this puzzle. He reached forward, adding his own hand to the pile. As one, they squeezed the life from the clown they’d all grown to hate.</p><p>And as the life left Pennywise’s eyes, Stanley Uris felt his anger finally drain from his body. He was left with nothing but peace.</p><p> </p><p>Stan went back to Atlanta the next day. He knew he should have stuck around a little longer, but he couldn’t stand to stay in that town for one more moment. He’d gotten each of their phone numbers- all but Bill’s. After everything they’d been through, Stan thought it might be a better idea to leave that chapter of his life unfinished. Without anger or fear, the two of them had nothing to keep them together. It wasn’t the same as Eddie and Richie, or Ben and Bev. Stanley didn’t get what he had always wanted, and he’d accepted that.</p><p>Bill, apparently, did not accept that at all. Two days after Stan had gotten back to his house and found it empty and destroyed, Bill rang his doorbell and punched him in the face.</p><p>“That’s for leaving me behind, asshole,” Bill snapped, shaking his hand out. And as if that hadn’t shocked Stan badly enough, in the next moment Bill had stepped into his space to kiss him desperately. “And that’s for everything else,” Bill added softly.</p><p>“Bill,” Stan whispered, meeting his eyes uncertainly.</p><p>“Are you going to invite me inside?” Bill asked, smiling brightly. He had two bags behind him, which made Stan wonder just how long Bill was planning on staying. Not that he could ever tell Bill no, of course. He stepped aside wordlessly to let Bill inside, grabbing one of the bags himself.</p><p>“I didn’t expect you to come here,” he admitted.</p><p>“I wasn’t sure I was going to,” Bill told him, frowning. “When you left like that, without even saying goodbye… I thought you just didn’t want anything to do with us. And then I found out it was only me, and that was just… unacceptable.”</p><p>“Oh?” Stan asked, still feeling dazed from the kiss.</p><p>“Unacceptable,” Bill repeated, but he was cupping Stan’s face and leaning in to kiss him again, and Stan was completely certain he’d been forgiven. And even if he wasn’t, he’d have the rest of their lives to make it up to Bill. Now that he was here, Stan finally understood what would hold them together. It wasn’t anger or fear; it was love. He wasn’t going to let Bill go. Never again.</p>
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